Not a Hopeless Cause
by Desertfyre
Summary: Tag to 6.12-Like a Virgin. Sam apologizes to Bobby and they have a talk. Can this be salve or is it a hopeless cause?


Disclaimer:  Do I look like I own these wonderful brothers or Bobby for that matter? Nope! I'm just borrowing with the intent on returning…..though I never said for how long I'd borrow.

A.N:  I don't know about anyone else but I felt like when Bobby was talking with the boys at the end of the episode that he seemed a lot less uncomfortable then previously when they were all in the same room. So I figure, something had to have change, otherwise I feel like Bobby would still have felt a little weird and we would have picked up on it. Hence this fanfic.

Summary: Tag to 6.12-Like a Virgin. Sam apologizes to Bobby and they have a talk. Can this be salve?

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Dean and Sam had just come from their newest case and just finished briefing Bobby on what was happening. Bobby decided that he'd do some research and see what he could dig up on this current situation that was taking place. Dean and Sam had proceeded to go back outside when Sam stopped after the door closed behind them.

He paused, thinking.

"Hey, you okay?" Dean asked.

Sam glanced at the door behind him. Making a decision he squared his shoulders, "Hey, I'll be around in a minute or some."

Dean, who was at the bottom of the steps by now, stared at Sam a moment before nodding, figuring out what Sam was up to, "Sure, I'll be out back."

"Playing Leprechaun no doubt", Sam muttered turning back to the door.

"Bite me", Dean snipped as he proceeded to walk around the side of the house to the back.

Sam took a deep breath to steady his nerves before opening the door and slowly walking in. He didn't want to frighten Bobby."Hey, Bobby?" he announced before coming around the corner to block the doorway of Bobby's makeshift office.

Bobby froze in his administrations of looking through books and looked up wariness in his eyes. "Oh, hey, Sam", he gruffed out.

The tension that Bobby had, wasn't lost on Sam as he shifted and stuffed his hands in his pocket. There was a long uncomfortable silence that followed.

"Um…..uh….." Sam finally managed to stutter out.

"Something wrong? Where's Dean?" Bobby asked after a moment had passed.

Sam couldn't help the wince. He didn't blame Bobby for being uncomfortable with just him anymore. Though it still hurt.

It hurt badly.

"Uh, he's out back. Probably now looking through is gold treasure." Sam gave a crooked smile at this.

Bobby chuckled once. "Hm."

"Hey, uh….need some help?" Sam couldn't help but to offer.

"No, I got it", Bobby refused politely.

A little too polite for Bobby's manner.

Sam just nodded knowing the answer when he asked. "Yeah…" He cleared his throat and shifted once.

Another awkward silence followed.

"Need something?" Bobby asked finally, unable to relax enough to go through his books with Sam in the room.

"Yeah, actually", Sam cleared his throat again.

Bobby unconsciously tensed, "Which is?" he prompted, watching the younger man warily.

"I wanted to talk."

"We are talking."

Sam laughed once and the corner of Bobby's mouth twitch.

"Yeah, yeah, but….well….." Sam glanced down at his feet before looking back at Bobby then looking off to the side, "Um….Castiel told me….."

Bobby was a taut bow string by now. "Told you what?" he asked calmly.

"He filled in some of the blanks about me….when I was…..you know…..soulless."

Bobby almost asked, why he was telling him about it, but held his tongue in time. Instead he asked, "Dean know?"

"Not yet. I'm gonna tell him in a moment."

"Good", Bobby said simply.

Another awkward silence.

Sam finally huffed once, "God, Bobby…I'm….I'm so sorry. And they are pale words I know, and I can't just undo what I've done...just that….I...I want you to know that I am sorry. I never would have thought about doing it. I still can't believe that I….that I was even capable of….of such a thing…. " The disgust and horror was evident in his voice.

And Bobby took some comfort in that though he couldn't help his hands as they gripped a book pretty tight as he looked down at the pages, seeming to be studying something of interest, "Doing what?" He wanted to be sure they were on the same page.

Sam bit his lip as it took a moment for him to say it. When he did, his voice was soft and Bobby almost didn't catch it, "About trying to kill you."

Another awkward silence followed that.

Longer and more unsettled the previous ones.

"You remember that?" Bobby finally asked glancing up at Sam who was looking everywhere but him.

"Not really. I remember at it and Castiel told me and I feel that is what happened but I don't really….remember, remember, you know?"

Bobby just nodded. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He was secretly glad it was out in the open. He heard some shuffling and looked up.

Sam had taken a step back, his glaze lowered to the ground, "Though I don't remember, I am still sorry. I can't believe that I was that far gone. I never would thought of doing such a thing, much less doing it. I know it's too little and too late. I want to fix it, but I know it's probably not fixable. I understand that. I understand. I'll…..um…..I won't come around much anymore unless Dean is around. And I'll lose your number. I just wanted you to know that you were like a second father to me and I'm sorry."

Unconsciously, Bobby felt that Sam's words slapped him in the face as he remembered that he had told Sam that, although possessed at the time, to lose his number. Then he remembered that time in the hospital. He had said that he would never cut Sam out, not now, not ever. Could he really renegade on that?

Yeah, he was still shaken up by what had happened, but this Sam, was the one that he knew. Sam actually came back to apologize for what he didn't even really remember, trying to make up for it, figuring he could not. That was the Sam he knew. Not the other cold, hard and heartless Sam that made him wary on far more levels that he was now.

It didn't have to be a hopeless cause, did it?

Bobby looked up and studied Sam closely, watching him fidget.

Did it?

Sam finally moved and had gone to turn around and walk out the back door and probably never to be heard from again unless Dean was around and only then if need be.

He couldn't just let him go, could he?

Could he?

Before Bobby could even process what he was doing, he was standing up quickly, "Sam, wait!" he called out.

He heard Sam's footsteps cease but did not come back in sight.

Bobby cocked his head, "Get in here, boy."

Sam obeyed and slowly refilled the doorway, his head still bowed. Bobby stood staring at the young man for few seconds, that seemed like a young boy at that moment, studying him closely.

"I don't want you to lose my number. That's pretty harsh", Bobby finally said.

And he found that he really didn't want that.

"I will do it if you makes you feel better. I get now why you were acting weird around me", Sam said quietly.

"Sam, listen to me okay? It wasn't you, yeah, it was some part of you since it was your body but it wasn't you. I get what Dean was trying to say."

"I just want you be comfortable, that's all." said Sam.

Bobby unexpectedly warmed at that. If he wanted Sam out of his life, Sam would walk with no protest just to make him feel better. It was a mark of the Sam he knew, "I know. And I thank you for the apology."

Sam nodded still not looking up.

Bobby frowned lightly, hoping that Sam was getting this, "Sam, I'm not cutting you out."

"You should." came the soft reply.

"I'm not", Bobby repeated.

"But you should!" Sam cried unable to stop himself as he looked up a broken look on his face, that pierce Bobby where it counted, "I almost killed you." Sam's eyes were far away, "I wouldn't want to deal with myself either."

"Sam! Listen to me!" Bobby snapped. Ordinarily, he might, would go to Sam and offered some comfort but he found he couldn't yet. The desk was a barrier, it was his protection and he stood rooted in the spot. "You didn't kill me! Yeah, you might would have to lose my number if I was dead."

Sam managed a halfhearted glared through his now glassy eyes, "That's not funny, Bobby."

Bobby snorted, "I wasn't trying to be. Look, what's done is done. We deal with it. But just going our separate ways, ain't it."

"Why?"

"Are you that intent on leaving?"

"No, but I'm not gonna make you feel uncomfortable. I know now why you got out of my presence as soon as you possibly could."

"It's gonna take some time, Sam but that doesn't mean that's it's gonna take forever. I'm not letting it take forever, you know."

Bobby could see the hidden relief and hope that was beginning to spark in Sam's eyes even as he tried to hide it. Bobby gave a small smiled and added, "Beside if I did cut you out, I'd have a bulldog on my heels and I'm too old of that."

Sam paused and blinked once, before laughing softly as he realized that bulldog would be Dean.

"Look, it's gonna take some time, Sam", Bobby repeated softly, "but it's not a lost cause. We've all lost too much to be adding this to the list, don't you think?"

Sam nodded once lowering his glaze.

"Give me so time to adjust, that's all I'm asking."

A nod again.

"We won't let this beat us, okay?"

Nod.

"Sam, up here, boy." Bobby snapped his fingers gruffing out, "My eyes are up here."

Slowly and shyly, Sam's glaze was able to meet Bobby's.

"Okay?" Bobby asked wanting confirmation.

Slowly, Sam nodded as a small smile danced on his face, his head cocked, looking at him though one eye, his long hair covering part of his face. It made him look boyish. His eyes were wetter than the previous moment. Bobby gave a small smile.. He could see the hope and relief that was beginning to fully shine through his eyes now.

"Thank you" Sam's voice cracked as he reached up sniffing to wipe his face. He lowered his glazed, "Thanks."

And before Bobby could say anything he had darted out the house. He couldn't cut this young man with his doe-eyed, kick puppy dog look out of his life. He knew that he'd miss the boy too much.

And besides...when did they ever let evil get one up on them if they could help it?

Never.

And Bobby would not start at this late date.

**Fin. **

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A.N:  Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed! I find it ironic that I now have two stories featuring each Winchester having to apologize to Bobby. Lol

Bonus: Look for a companion piece to this story called: Hurt of the Soul or something to that affect. Another tag to this eppie but featuring the brothers themselves. =D


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